He saw chaste virgins tempt and tantalise,
Lure and deny, invite--and then refuse,
And drive men forth half crazed to wantons' arms.
Mother, you taught me there were but two kinds
Of women in the world--the good and bad.
But you have been too sheltered in the safe,
Old-fashioned sweetness of your quiet life,
To know how women of these modern days
Make licence of their new-found liberty.
Why, I have been more tempted and more shocked
By belles and beauties in the social whirl,
By trusted wives and mothers in their homes,
Than by the women of the underworld
Who sell their favours. Do you think me mad?
No, mother; I am sane, but very sad.
I miss my boyhood's faith in woman's worth -
Torn from my heart, by 'good folks' of the earth.
THE YOUNGER BORN
The modern English-speaking young girl is the astonishment of the world and
the despair of the older generation. Nothing like her has ever been seen
or heard before. Alike in drawing-rooms and the amusement places of the
people, she defies conventions in dress, speech, and conduct. She is bold,
yet not immoral. She is immodest, yet she is chaste. She has no ideals,
yet she is kind and generous.
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